Rising Tech in NYC: 20 Apps to Help Navigate the City

In addition to creating its own apps, NYC supports developers creating innovative apps for fellow New Yorkers. The NYC BigApps competition offers cash and other prizes for the best new apps utilizing NYC Open Data. These apps help New Yorkers navigate, enjoy and take full advantage of their great city.

If you’ve ever felt like being a tourist is only fun with money, this app is for you. Why spend $20 on museum admission when some of America’s most significant works of art and architecture are free to view every day? CultureNOW’s iPhone app puts thousands of sites at your fingertips, along with location maps, tour routes, historical info and analysis, photographs, and podcasts.

NextStop is an iPhone/iPod Touch app for New York City Subway riders who don’t like to waste a minute. At a quick glance, it tells you when the next train is scheduled to arrive based on your current location, selected station, or pre-defined favorites. With this information in hand, it’s easy to figure out the quickest route between point A and point B.

2012 winners:

We aim to create an Open City Metadata Exchange using open standards – creating a hyperlocal “River of Data”, whereby data innovators can build interchangeable solutions using their preferred technology stack while minimizing data balkanization. On the riverbanks of this River of Data, we aim to help NYC achieve its vision – to become the premier Digital City of the Future!

Lets be honest, most apartments in New York are small—REAL small. Anyone who has tried to work from home has experienced cabin fever or been distracted by something at home. Work+ helps people get out of their house and into their community by finding places nearby that are good for working.

The Funday Genie is an application for planning a free day. Our unique scheduling and best route algorithm creates a smart personalized day-itinerary of things to do, including events, attractions, restaurants, shopping, and more, based on the user’s preferences. Everyday can be a Funday.

596 Acres is a public education project aimed at making communities in Brooklyn aware of the land resources around them. With the goal of a food sovereign New York City in mind, the project is helping neighbors form connections to the city-owned vacant lots in their lives through printed maps, signage and an online, interactive, and social-media-connected map (which works on smart phones, too!).

The online map helps people find vacant public land in their neighborhoods and provides tools to support communities organizing to get access to the land.

Sage is a NYC public pre-k and elementary school search for the mobile web. Search for your school by entering your address to find your zoned school and schools nearby. See a school’s basic information, state exam results and NYC progress report grades. You can also search for schools by intersection, zip or name if you’re just looking around. Tips about the admissions process are offered along the way.

This is a personal emergency web mobile app to help alert the nearest Police Precinct, a Custom Phone Number by SMS or Pre-Scripted Voice Message, or a Custom Email by Pressing of One Emergency Button. To start using this app, simply custom set your “Settings” with your needed information. Once set, open the One Red Button Emergency Screen. To initiate the contacts for emergency, simply press the Red Emergency Button.

ParkAlly uses the single most effective incentive to make parking easy; those willing to invest a small amount of time to coordinate a trade of a parking space will be paid for their effort. For those wishing to find a spot, a small payment can guarantee a quick and efficient trade that will save time, money and stress. Capitalism works.

ParkAlly is your parking solution. Not only will it prevent a towing by reminding you to move your vehicle before a street cleaning, but it also enables people to exchange their parking spots with one another. An individual can list their parking spot, the time that they intend to leave and the price they would require for devoting their time to accommodate another individual’s needs. Then, an individual in search of a spot can find it at the location, time, and price they desire.

Reports are generated by caller complaints to 311 that are routed to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Caller complaints routed to HPD include issues like vermin, leaks, and heating problems.

NYTripBuilder.com is a travel site that helps you personalize your trip. In few quick steps, your personalized itinerary will be created. The final itinerary will not only include your “Must See” places but will also include the recommended places by NYTripBuilder.com especially personalized for you. Your itinerary could be retrieved at any time, any place by just logging into NYTripBuilder.com through either your Facebook account or Foursquare account.

Scene Near Me alerts you when you are near NYC film scenes. Discover scenes using our mobile web app or connect to foursquare to receive alerts whenever you check in near famous NYC movies, such as Annie Hall, Ghostbusters or Spider Man. Scene Near Me connects New Yorkers and tourists with what makes this city great.